Stolen
by pluto-mint
Summary: Updated with a new chapter! AthrunKira. Destiny, love, and friendship. Read and review please.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** Gundam SEED and related characters belong to Bandai and Sunrise.

**Stolen**

A Gundam SEED fanfiction by Pluto Mint

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary:** AthrunKira. Destiny, love, and friendship.

**Warning:** Shounen ai themes. If you don't like it, don't read, don't flame.

**Stolen**

Prologue

_Close your eyes, and I will be swimming  
Lullaby fills your room, and I will be singing  
Singing to only you  
Don't forget, I'll hold your head  
Watch the night sky fading red_

How long had he been here? How long had he been unconscious? An hour? Two hours? A day? Or was it only a mere minute? The night sky… it was fading slowly, merging into a morning sky as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. So it's almost morning, and here he was sprawled in the middle of a snowy field, trembling.

It's cold. The air was crisp and thin. If he had any strength left, his teeth would have chattered due to the cold. Oh how he felt sotired, alone, and soaked by the snow. His hands trembled slightly, the tip of his fingers numbed by the cold and biting wind. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see the feathers and the snow falling ever so softly from the almost dawn sky in a blur. Amidst the feathers and the snow, he looked so fragile with his torn shirt stained with blood. Like a fallen angel, broken and battered. But the snow, they are floating all over him, slowly descending upon his body, and cocooning him like a slow spin of redemption—albeit the blood splattered upon it. And he didn't know whose blood it was; he didn't really give a damn anymore.

It hurts to breathe with his lungs filled with blood. He licked his cold and dry lips, and felt the saltiness and the bitterness of his own tears and maybe blood.

_Cold... Dark… I am alive?_ _Why?_

And he can't help but to wonder about the other boy, _is he alright?_

A sudden pain searing through his body as he drag himself upright from his fallen position. Almost sobbing with his breath held, head bent and low, he felt so weak and bitter.

His eyes, they were shadowed by the anguish, tainted with loneliness, looked so hollow and empty. All he could see was the darkness that still fell upon to the earth. The night still claimed the sky; but they dimmed slowly as the sun slowly ascending over the horizon. Yet somehow, he could barely see another figure sprawled in the middle of the snowed field.

Unmoved. Untouched. Stoned. Dead under the moonless sky.

Blinking his eyes several times, he felt the sudden burst of emotion in his heart. His chest felt tight, they are constricted by the sudden fervor of emotions. Forcefully, he dragged himself toward the cold and stiff figure, and silently whispered his secret prayers into the sky. _God… please let him be alright._

Lost within the haze of his own sights, his head hurt so bad, it felt like it will explode in a mere seconds. His feet swayed a little, all shaky and weak, and he felt delirious with his fever intermingled with sighs. And it's easier to let go, to let himself lost within the darkness swirling before his sight, but he keep on walking even though now his feet have turned so wobbly and weak. And it's so hard to breathe with a pair of broken and blood-filled lung, his wounded hand clutching his heart as he fell to his knees.

He reached out his hands but he was too weak and tired, and soon he found himself falling softly to the snow once again. _No matter what I do I can never reach you, can't I?_ Smiling with bitterness, he lifted his gaze to the other sprawled figure. Unable to move, he rolled to his side with the last remains of his strength, watching the other boy silently, simply gazing at him.

"Torii..."

He blinked and lifted his head to see a flash of green soaring in the almost blue sky. "Torii…" he called out the bird's given name. The said mechanical bird flipped its wing before descending itself onto the palm of his hand. A gentle peck was given onto his numbed skin; he smiled at the bird tenderly. "Torii, it's so cold in here. I can't even feel my own fingers." The bird chirped affectionately, as if it was willed to push the pain away. "It's cold and soon I'll be leaving you… If… if he's alive then… you… you take care of him okay?"

"Torii…" the bird chirped once again and nuzzled onto his dampened cheek before flipping its wings and fly into the arms of the other boy. He smiled that sorrowful smile once again, willing himself to stay awake as he lifted his gaze to the other boy.

The snow flakes were falling softly from the almost morning sky; the silence making his eyelids grew heavy with each passing second. The feathers—the last remains of their battle, and the snow flakes were descending upon the other boy with such grace. They swirled and melt to each other in his blurry eyes. It's beautiful. _He's beautiful._ The wheezing sound of the winter breeze was barely audible, and soon the serenity of the moment lulled him into a deep slumber. Silent tears slid from the corner of his eyes, even in death they're still torn apart. And it's so ironic, for only at this moment the boy was truly his. Only at this moment he was able to look at the other with such deep affectionate eyes, meant only for him, meant only for the one that he loved the most. And he was sorry that it has to end up this way, he was sorry **_they_** didn't make it to the end. But it's enough, this brief unshared moment of happiness, of harboring such love to the other, even if it was unknown to the other, but it's still alright anyway.

He's still happy anyway. And maybe this is it. This is the moment he gets to be free.

The dawn was quiet and calm; the tranquility of it all was making him at ease. _I pray for you to be alright… _But it was the soft moan caught in his ears that brought the peace to him._ I pray for you to be happy…_ And oddly enough, the sound was also enough to make him smile before he closed his eyes—_he's alive_— and surrendered to the darkness once again.

_But as you sleep, and no one is listening  
I will lift you off your feet, I'll keep you from sinking  
Don't you wake up yet, cause soon I'll be leaving you  
Soon I'll be leaving you, but you won't be leaving me_

_TBC_

**A/N:** Who's dead? Who's not? Is it Kira or is it Athrun? Or is it neither one of them? This fic moved backwards, so this chapter is probably half pictured how the story ends. And the fic will also featured Cagalli, Lacus, Mwu, and Raw. And Yzak and Dearka of course. I do admit that there are a couple of grammar mistakes in this chapter, I'm just too lazy to edit it.

And since the fic would be consisted by multiple chapters, I need to know if it's appropriate to continue the fic. This is a pilot chapter. It means, I will only continue the fic if I get the appropriate response. In other words, I will only continue the fic if there are people who wanted me to continue the fic. If you want me to continue, then write your review.

If I get a flame, then shame on you. I pity you, retard soul!

By the way, the italic phrase was actually a song lyric but I forgot who sing it.

Anyway, do write your review please! Thanks


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Gundam SEED and related characters belong to Bandai and Sunrise.

**Stolen**

A GSEED fanfic by Pluto-mint

**Rating:** T

**Warning: **Shounen ai. If this is not your thing, then do not proceed.

**Pairing: **AthrunKira

**Summary: **AU. Love, destiny, and friendship.

**Stolen**

**Chapter One:** A Day In The Park

---

_I remembered you with my soul clenched_

_in_ _that sadness of mine that you know_

--taken from **_Clenched Soul _**by Pablo Neruda

---

He woke up to see the bright (almost too bright for his own liking) sunlight cascading down upon his pillow, duvet, and every other things in his small bed. Squinting his eyes from the evading sunlight, he moved to tangle himself deeper inside the welcoming pillow. The lazy ticking sounds of the clock were the only sounds that filled his room. And he drowned in it, feeling content with the quiet sense of solitude it brings.

The faint scent of summer breeze lingered inside his room, the window curtains billowed upon their arrival. Aside the scent it brought, the breeze had also carried a certain memory of an old summer back in his childhood days, of greens, and blue, and salt, and sea. In his hazy state of sleeping, he can remember the feeling of another fingers tangled inside his own. A smile, echoes of laughter, and that certain fondness it brings. Safe, safe, and blissfully protected. He blinked, the dream fade, and he found himself lost without the memory. But the feeling still lingers, as it always do. And he found himself smiling, and wondered if this is how it feels to be happy and loved.

---

The park was rather empty. There were only one or two people around, so it was an easy task for him to find an empty seat on a rather forlorn bench. The trees rustled inside the breeze. Their shadows danced under his feet, and he looked up to see the bright summer sunlight seeping through their thick branches. The summer heat was bearable under the shades of trees, and he found himself feeling quite content with his seat. A bottle of juice, it was slightly warm from heat and not cold as it used to be, sat silently beside him. His khaki pants were rather dusty due to the labor of his walk.

In his hand was a rather crumpled looking paper, and he was looking at it with a rather intent look in his handsome face. His brows furrowed a little, giving the impression of solemnity in his face. The boy was so intent with the paper in hands that he failed to notice the looks the passerby's gave him every time they took their gaze upon the beauty that was his. He was a tall sixteen years old boy with the most brilliant emerald eyes ever to be seen. The tall stature of his body was an inheritance of his father. And so does the handsome look. But the high chiseled cheekbones and the imminent beauty, they all came from his mother. A silent breeze ruffled his dark blue hair, and as it did so, it carried away the scents of vanilla and sandalwood from him.

The boy sighed along the breeze, his soft quiet voice hummed with relief. Stretching out his sore feet, he counted the hours he had spent looking for an unknown place, in an unknown suburban area that was pretty much foreign to him. Needless to say he was lost. A soft humming sound came from his pocket; finally someone managed to call him.

"Athrun's speaking."

Niicol shrieking voice can be heard from the other end, "Athrun? Thank God we finally manage to contact you. Where are you?"

"Uhh… I'm not sure. All I know is that I'm in a park right now."

"A park? Is it near a flea market?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Okay. Stay there. I'll pick you up in twenty minutes."

"Okay."

He closed the phone and folded the crumpled paper in hand. Now that the problem was solved, he finally has his moments to relieve his sore feet. And the park wasn't bad at all, it was filled with trees and all assorted kinds of flowers. It was quiet, and nice, and for the first time in weeks, he finally felt that tug of sleepiness in him—he had always known to be a light sleeper and a rather insomniac at that, not that anyone can blame him given to his condition. Closing his emerald eyes in a quiet contentment, he can feel the summer breeze lulled him to sleep, and Athrun Zala let the sleep claimed him in a quiet solitude.

---

The boy walked aimlessly in the park, his bright violet eyes sparkled with innocence that usually can only be found inside the children's eyes or inside the eyes of those with pure hearts. His rather oversized t-shirt exposed the slightly tanned skin beneath and making it glow under the summer sun.

One of the boy's arms was full of groceries bag, while the other hand clutching something that seemed to be a list. The handsome feature of his face now marred by a frown as he's trying his hardest to remember the things that he could possibly missed. _Butter, milk, bread, ground beef…_the boy continued to do the list with a rather serious look in his face.

But the serious look was gone when a bird, a robotic bird that is, affectionately pecking his shoulder as if it was trying to remind him to loosen up a little. "Torii, stop bugging me around. I'm rather busy right now," the boy answered the bird in an equal affectionate tone.

The bird, instead leaving its owner in his own quiet world, was started to peck on his shoulder again. "Ouch, Torii stop it!" But the bird didn't stop at all; it spread its wing and started to fly around the boy, "Torii… Torii…" And without warning the green bird dove from the height and in a flash the list was gone from the boy's hand.

"Hey! Torii, I need that!" Kira Yamato, despite his lack of height, wildly threw his hand up in the sky in a fruitless attempt to catch the bird. The said bird flew a little higher, and leaving the confused boy alone in the park in a dash. After a moment or so the bird was nowhere to be seen, leaving the chocolate haired boy worry. How could he not? The bird was special to him, it was the only remnants of the life he had before the accident. Not only that the accident nearly cost him his life, but the accident was also costing him his memory. He could barely remember anything aside his name and the bird's name after the car crash. He was lucky to have Natarle as his relative; the lady was kind enough to adopt him and to take him as a family.

The bird was the only thing he could hold on to, the only thing that showed him how much he was loved before. Perhaps it was a gift from his brother (he never asked Natarle whether he had a brother or not, Natarle seemed to be rather reluctant to talk about his family), for there was a childish scrabble under the bird's right wing, it was said 'For Kira, I will always remember you'. It was simple and clear to Kira, that someone somewhere knew him and remembered him always. Or at least that was what he had always hoped to be. But it's enough; the simple knowledge that he used to be loved is more than enough.

And now the bird's gone, well not quite gone anyway, Torii was never really left before. But still, it won't do any hurt to be careful right? So he turned his heels and dashed to find the robotic bird.

---

The trees swayed along the breeze. Their thick branches manage to hide the two figures that were watching the sleeping boy over the park bench perfectly. Hidden by the shadow and unknown to the seeing eyes, they sat at the thick branches of the trees and resumed their watch. The first figure, unable to hide his amazement, whispered in an almost audible tone, "That's him alright. No body else but him." The other figure leaned against the tree and looked less impressed than his partner, "Athrun Zala. The only son of Patrick Zala, the founder of Zala Corp. It's perfect for the said scenario, isn't it? The perfect heir, a perfect vessel for the weapon. The old guy sure knows how to create the perfect weapon."

"Hnn… True." The first figure grinned, though he felt a little sympathy to the sleeping boy, "Well, so much for his luck and so much for ours too. Didn't really expect them to meet right now."

"What?"

"That. Do you see that?" The first figure pointed at another figure aside the sleeping subject. The second looked amused when he saw the figure that was Kira Yamato slowly approaching the bench that held the sleeping boy's form. A green bird flew overhead before it finally land upon the sleeping figure.

"Kira Yamato. Never hope to see him in flesh. Well then, I guess it's settled, the second battle is really about to begin. Come, the lady must know about this in person." Thus with the words said upon his lips, the second figure dashed from the tree and soon he was followed by his taller companion.

---

"Torii! Torii! Where are you? Hey, Torii!"

Kira Yamato's confused face came into the view as his eyes wandered in searching for the said robotic bird. His face was slightly flushed due to the summer heat. The bright blue sky hung over the trees. The wind gusted along the trees, making the leaves fall in such grace. Craning his neck over the shades of the trees, Kira Yamato hoped to see a hidden Torii inside the shadow.

"Toriii…" Voice thickened by sadness, Kira looked as lost as a five years old boy on a street. Fortunately for him the bird decided to appear itself and flew to the other side of the park. He looked up and started to follow the bird.

After five minutes of flying, the bird decided to land on a shoulder of a sleeping boy on the park bench. The green bird clasped its wing and the list fell from its beak as the bird softly nuzzled to the sleeping boy's cheekbones. The boy stirred in his sleep.

Slowly, the soft footsteps that were Kira Yamato can be heard among the rustled sounds of the leaves. His sparkling violet eyes lit up as the robotic bird came into the view. But then as the view itself began to register in his head, he began to blush, struck in awe by the beauty of a sleeping boy on the park bench.

The chiseled face of the sleeping boy shyly peeked from the dark blue fringes of his hair; his porcelain skin glowed under the sunlight. A faint scent of vanilla and sandalwood lingered around the boy. And although the boy was undoubtedly beautiful, but the broad shoulders, the long fingers, and the slightly build muscles of his cannot conceal the boy's masculinity. Such a beautiful paradox, Kira thought to himself.

"Torii…" The mechanical bird chirped and pecked the sleeping boy's shoulder in an affectionate way. The blue haired boy stirred once again and Kira, alarmed by the possibility of waking up the boy, whispered to the green bird, "Shh… Torii, you're going to wake him up."

But instead of obeying its owner's words, Torii now began to pecking the boy's ear. Kira frantically started to stop the bird, he leaned in and reaching out his free hand to the bird. The bird, as if it was guide by an invisible thread, flew right away from the sleeping boy's shoulder, causing Kira to lose his balance and inevitably falling toward the sleeping boy's figure. With an undignified yelp, Kira found himself hugging the blue haired boy in order to stop himself crashing down the bench. The groceries scattered around the bench.

Kira felt the boy stirred and looked up to see a pair of sleepy emerald eyes before his very own violet eyes. Caught in a moment of surprise, he was unable to take off his eyes from those twin orbs. The time seemed to drown itself inside those deep emerald eyes. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.

For a moment the two boys just gazing at each other, unmoved, and confused.

That is until a soft quiet voice whispered in Kira's ear,

"You can let go now."

Kira blinked, "What?"

The blue haired boy smiled and said, "Your hands. You can let go now. I won't let you fall."

A blush quickly found its way to Kira's beautiful face. Abruptly he took off his hands from the blue haired boy and felt a pair of strong arm held him into his place. After regaining a sense of balance, Kira stood from the blue haired boy's lap with his face almost beating a tomato. "Uhn… I'm sorry. I didn't try to do anything. I just sort of… er…"

"Slipped?" The emerald eyed boy answered at length and smiled at him.

"Yeah," Kira answered weakly, "I'm trying to find my er… list, before I slipped that is." He was lying of course, it felt stupid for saying that he was looking for his mechanical pet bird when the said bird's not around. Upon seeing a deserted paper, Kira pointed his finger, snatched the paper, and smiled triumphantly, "Look, this is my list."

The blue haired youth laughed and his laugh felt like music to Kira's ear. "You don't have to convince me you know. I believe you." The boy raked his finger through his hair and bent down to pick up the scattered stuff before adding his answer in a soft spoken tone; "Besides I don't think you'd actually dropped your groceries just to grope a defenseless sleeping boy."

"Uhm… yeah. Sorry." Kira smiled shyly with his violet eyes peering behind the longer bangs of his hair. The blue haired boy smiled and then returns to the task at hand. Together the two boys worked in a comfortable silence.

It didn't take a long time until the whole scattered things were collected. "This is the last one. Is it complete?" the blue haired boy said to his smaller companion.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Good." The emerald eyed boy stood and dusting off his pants. He took a glance to his watch and frowned. Upon seeing the confused look on the stranger's face, Kira cannot helped but to ask, "Are you okay?"

"My friend should've picked me up an hour ago but he hasn't showed up."

"Oh. Is this your first time in Heliopolis?"

"Aa." The boy smiled in embarrassment, a light blush graced his cheek. Strangely enough the sight gave Kira a warm fuzzy feeling inside his heart. It felt familiar. The blush, the way he laughed, the way he smiled. But it's impossible. Kira had been living in Heliopolis since the day he was born.

"Well… um… I guess I should be leaving now. My friend is probably waiting for me. It's been a pleasure to meet you Kira Yamato-san." The blue haired boy bowed politely, unable to see the gasping look of Kira.

"Wait. How do you know my name?"

---

Athrun took a proper look upon the blushing face before him. The boy was at the same age as him but not quite as tall as he is. To say that the boy was a good looking person would be an understatement. The boy was beautiful with a pair of violet eyes that sparkled with innocence. His chocolate brown hair was slightly ruffled by the gusting wind. There's something about the boy that intrigued him.

"Wait. How do you know my name?" The boy asked in a hesitant tone.

Athrun just smiled and said, "It's written in your t-shirt Yamato-san. I take it that you are the ace of the robot club in your school?"

Instead of answering the question, the chocolate haired boy turned silent and he seemed to be quite disappointed. The blue haired boy was about to ask him whether he had said something wrong when the violet eyed boy lifted his gaze and stared at the taller boy.

And stare he did. A piercing gaze over the emerald eyed boy. An awkward silence hung between the two boys.

"Ano… Did I-"

But the boy's words were interrupted by the chirping voice of a bird, "Torii. Torii…"

"Torii!" Kira exclaimed loudly, hand reaching out to the flying bird. But the bird flipped its wing and gently land onto the arm of the taller youth. The blue haired boy stared at the green mechanical bird as it softly pecked his hand. _This is …?_ _Why does this feel so familiar?_ Though confused as he is, Athrun just smiled and held out his hand, "I take it that this bird is yours?"

"Aa," The smaller boy took the bird with a grateful look in his face, "This is… a gift, from someone so dear to me." The boy looked beautiful under the mist of the fallen leaves.

Athrun gasped unconsciously to the sight before him, he felt like he was seeing a scene of an old movie. There's something about the boy, something that made his heart all fluttery and warm. And yet… that something also saddened his heart. Such sadness, so deep and profound, that it constricted his heart a little. And it hurts.

This… How could this be…? How could a boy evoked so many… things inside his heart? Much less the boy was someone that was barely known to him

"Ah…"

Kira's concerned face came before his eyes as the boy's hand touched the taller boy's shoulder, "Are you alright?"

Gasped from the unexpected touch, the blue haired boy blushed, cursing inwardly. How could he let his defense to slip in front of a stranger's eyes? "Aa. I'm fine." He grinned almost sheepishly and was about to say something when Niicol's face appeared behind Kira's back.

"Athrun!"

---

Niicol fastened his steps toward the two boys. Athrun waved his hand in an amiable gesture. His friend seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with a chocolate haired boy before him when Niicol came.

"Athrun, I'm sorry. I got stuck in a traffic jam."

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it," the tallest of the three smiled and took the neglected bottle of juice on the bench. He turned his gaze to the silent boy besides him, "Uhm… So I guess I really have to go now Yamato-san." Niicol could swear that he saw his usually calm and composed friend stuttered a little as he bid his good bye. And this had made him smiled in silence.

The chocolate haired boy blushed and bowed politely, "Thank you for the help." Athrun just waved his hand and walked pass the boy to a waiting Niicol, "Don't mention it."

Niicol still stood in watch as the violet eyed boy bit his lip and looked a little hesitant before shyly asked, "Wait. Can I know your name?"

Athrun seemed to be surprised to the unexpected boldness, "It's Athrun Zala. Just call me Athrun the next time we meet, Yamato-san."

The smaller boy blushed as Athrun smiled.

Niicol found the two youths rather interesting. He rarely saw his friend looked so unguarded and relax before. And somehow, seeing the two youth together made his heart warm a little.

Upon realizing that he was being watched, the chocolate haired boy caught his eyes and Niicol politely bowed to the youth. The boy returned the bow and watched in silence as he and Athrun walked to the waiting convertible parked under an old tree.

---

"So…"

Athrun eyed him curiously, his hair blown by the summer wind as the convertible made its way easily on a rather deserted highway. Niicol smiled, "What is it Athrun?"

"It's not about me but it's about you. You and your cryptic smile," Athrun retorted with something that suspiciously resembled a pout. Giggled in delight, the green haired youth answered to his slightly irritated companion, "It's nothing really. I just found something amusing today."

After a few glares from Athrun, somehow Niicol still managed to stay in his giggle fit. Athrun sighed and said to the younger boy in a flat tone, "Okay, forget it. I don't want to know anything about it. So how's the search going on?"

The question had made the boy frowned, "We still haven't found anything. The first winged guardian is supposed to be near but we can't even find its sign of existence." Niicol glanced to his friend, who seemed to be quite tensed, and said, "Relax, Athrun. It's only been three days you know."

Tapping his fingers patiently, the blue haired youth took his gaze to the glittering sea, "Father won't be happy to hear this." Niicol answered not without sympathy to his friend, "I know Athrun. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Hn. I hope so. The second battle is seconds away and I hate to see us lose."

"Ever the dutiful son, aren't you? Don't worry, we'll be alright." And Niicol smiled the same smile he gave to Athrun every time he feels Athrun's quiet distress. And then Athrun would be smiling back at him, just like now.

They spent the rest of their journey in silence.

Tsuzuku…

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the long delay, minna-san! I was rather busy with the school. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you. Uhh … I'm not really sure if anyone will read this fic (considering its long delay), but if you do then please write your review please…

So… Does anyone already have any idea about what this fic is all about? Do write your comment please, because I'm having such a good time when I was reading your prediction about who's dead and who's not J

By the way, if you are interested in reading a fanfic that features Athrun and Shin, you can read my fanfic that was titled 'Hitori." Just click on my profile page to find the fic. Come on, click it… I know you want to… --seductive voice mode--

Anyway, thank you for reading the fic and if you flame me then I pity you retard soul!


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Gundam SEED and related characters are not mine.

**STOLEN**

A GSEED fanfiction by Pluto-mint

**Ratings:** T, should I make the rating go higher?

**Pairings:** AthrunKira.

**Summary:** AU. Destiny, love, and friendship.

**Warning: **Shounen ai themes, don't like, don't read, don't flame. Unedited fic and… of course, an irregular updating schedule.

**Stolen**

Chapter Two: Oblivion

---

_Like a jar you housed the infinite tenderness._

_And the infinite oblivion shattered you like a jar._

—'The Song of Despair' by Pablo Neruda

---

He found himself standing alone on a deserted field. The vast white expanse of snow stretched before his eyes. He felt the chilling wind slapped his face, but his feet, though they were bare as the day he was born, were not cold. He looked up to the night sky above him and found himself standing amidst the fallen white feathers, instead of the fallen snow.

_This… this must be a dream._

He stretched out his hands gingerly, feeling slightly amazed by the sight. A feather fell into his palm. Its soft white texture touched his skin and melted instantly to the touch. The drops of water slide between his fingers. His brows furrowed in curiosity as he brought his finger to his lips. _Tears…_ the droplets tasted like tears. _But whose tears is it?_

_**Mine. Always mine.**_

Soft spoken words were whispered into his ears. A shiver ran through his spine. Long pale fingers grazed his chin as he was caught in a fierce embrace from behind. An arm wrapped itself around his torso, the white puffs of breaths swirled along the cold biting wind. He closed his eyes in bitterness. _No… No more. Please… Why are you doing this to me?_

A low chuckle was his only answer. The icy cold fingers stopped in the middle of their caressing as he trembled in fear. In an agonizing slow touch, the fingers found their way into his neck.

_**You are afraid, my beautiful one. **_

He let out an unconscious gasp as they started to graze the skin.

**_And still so beautiful…_** **_So fragile… So very human. Let me be yours, I will protect you._**

"Don't. Please…"

He felt the mysterious figure smiled upon hearing his words. **_Why? We can be good together._**

"No. I won't let you. Leave. Don't do this to me."

The cold lips curled in distaste. **_You… _**the voice was now roughed by anger and hurt… **_How dare you to deny me!_**

He bit his lips as the fingers tighten their grip upon his neck.

_**What can I do to make you see? That there's nothing left for you and me…**_

Those fingers slowly wrapped around his neck, draining his strength. And weaken him from his inside as they flooded him with the bitterness of being left alone.

_**Nothing.**_

The dark empty void swirled before his eyes. And as the last drop of air left his lungs, a wave of unconsciousness came crashing into him. He fell and leaned to the figure behind him. His lungs were struggling to breathe and he felt himself losing. Fading.

Through his gasping breaths, he can feel the fingers loosen their grip around his neck and moved to caress his cheek. Silent tears were falling through his closed lids. A pair of cold lips tracing their paths along his cheekbones, kissing the tears away, as if they were trying to apologize for the previous act.

**_Shh_**… **_Don't cry. We're together in this…_**

_**Alone.**_

And the feathers kept on falling, descending upon the pair in silence.

---

The drizzling rain fell so softly on the sidewalk. The usually hectic morning ceased itself into silence as people rushed their way quietly under the rain drops. The pitter pattering sounds of the raindrops gave the morning a rare sense of peace. And though the sky was all shaded in gray, but the umbrellas, shaped in many different colors, seemed to make the gray-blue duskiness a little bit lighter.

In between the umbrellas, there's a boy who was safely hidden inside his own green umbrella. The water splashed around his feet as he made his way through the crowd. The boy was average in height and had a green mechanical bird perching quietly on his left shoulder. His chocolate brown hair framed his handsome face perfectly, his beautiful violet eyes can be seen peering through the fringe of his bangs. The eyes are beautiful but they looked so distant now that the boy seemed to be lost inside his own thought. And it wasn't until someone patted his shoulder in a friendly manner that the eyes sparkled with something akin to innocence.

"Kira-chan, what's with the long face?" said the other boy who was at the same height as his, the curly brown hair matched perfectly with the childish smile plastered on his face. "What was it that preoccupied your mind this early in the morning? I wonder if it's Flay that you were thinking about…" The boy's smile was now turning fully into a teasing smile.

A deep shade of red graced Kira's face as he blushed upon hearing the latter statement. "Tolle! No… I wasn't—,"stuttered the poor violet eyed boy helplessly before a stern voice cut his words.

"Wasn't what Kira-kun?"

Turning his back to see the owner of the voice, Kira came face to face with Miriallia Hawke, another classmate of his. "Na Tolle, did you just tease Kira-kun again?" Hands on her hips, the brown haired girl was now giving curly haired boy a full blown glare, her orange trench coat slightly wet due to the rain.

"Millie! Really, it's not my fault. Kira is just too damn cute sometimes." The pout in Tolle's lips went unfazed by the glare that was given to him. "Besides, Kira-chan doesn't seem to mind at all. Right, Kira?" And Tolle draped his arm around Kira's shoulder to convince the girl some more.

The girl was about to gave Tolle another glare when another voice chirped from behind the group. "Ohayou minna. Na, what's with this commotion?" said a beautiful red haired girl with pink umbrella on the background. And Kira blushed once again as the girl slowly came into the view.

"Flay! You know, they're just bickering to each other as usual," Millie smiled almost sheepishly to the long haired girl. The latter girl just stared at her with an odd look in her face, "Funny. I don't see it that way."

"Ahahaha…" Millie's words came along with her nervous laughter, "That's very observant of you, Flay."

"Ohayou Flay-chan. I can see that you are as charming as always."

"You're not trying to flirt with me in front of your girlfriend, aren't you Tolle-kun? You're not really my type, anyway."

"Na… Flay-chan, I'm hurt. You know that Millie is my one and only and nothing can ever change that. Period. But someone here seemed to think that you're his type, Flay-chan." All the colors drained from Kira's face and Tolle's grin widened. He seemed to be pleased in seeing his best friend's reaction. "I think Kira should be the one to break the news for you."

The beautiful redhead blinked and giggled upon knowing the possibilities of having another boy as her admirer. Flay turned her eyes to Kira and smiled almost too sweetly, "Na kira-kun, care to tell me who the boy is?"

Kira quickly hid his face inside his umbrella as he felt the blush started to deepen, "Anoo… I—" but his words was soon lost inside the high pitched excitement squeals that was coming from a bunch of flocking girls in front of them.

"What the—?" All of their attention was suddenly drawn into the bunch of squealing girls before them. Craning his neck to see what the commotion is all about, Kira felt the once so quiet Torii stirred from its rest before flipping its wings and flew over the crowd. "Torii!"

Kira moved past the crowd and finally saw a red sports car pulled over near the school's gate. Its shiny appearance seemed to be rather off place comparing to the humble looking school and thus it made everyone gaped to the sight. Kira's eyes widened as he saw a familiar blue haired boy came out from the said sports car. "Ath—"

The crowd was getting frenzy again and Kira lost the sight of the blue haired boy. Just in a blink of an eye the boy was gone and so was the car, leaving only a bunch of squealing girls and Kira at the school gate.

_Athrun_… And Kira felt something stirred inside his heart as the rain splashed under his feet.

---

The day moved in its usual dull and boring pace. There were assignments to collect and quizzes to do, but so far nothing special really happened. The day almost turned into just another ordinary day until the principal came knocking at the door. The teacher promptly stopped his lecture and went outside the classroom, leaving the class on a loud buzz.

It appeared to be that a new transfer student was going to be placed on their class for there was a stranger standing behind the principal. The excitement was high on the girls; it can be easily seen from their look and their muffled squealing. Knowing who the transfer student might be, Kira's heart too, beat in something close to excitement as the teacher entered the class room once again. But this time the teacher's not alone, a tall blue haired boy was walking behind him. And Kira immediately recognized the boy, _Athrun_…

"Attention please," the teacher hummed and the class went silent instantly, "This is Athrun Zala. He is a transfer student from Orb and he will be your classmate for the rest of the year. I hope that you'll make his stay in Heliopolis enjoyable." The teacher then turned his face to the handsome youth and said, "Do please introduce yourself, Zala-san!"

The blue haired boy nodded and moved to the front of the class. His voice was clear and steady as he introduced himself, "I'm Athrun Zala and I'm very pleased to meet you." The boy bowed politely to his new classmates and smiled. Only in seconds away, hands were shot up to the air as the loud buzz return.

_How old are you? What's your hobby? Are you Patrick Zala's son? Are you having a relationship right now?_

Despite the chaotic scene, the boy simply smiled and answered the entire questions politely, "I'm 16 going 17. I don't really have a specific interest and yes I am his son. And about the relationship thing, I can't really answer that since it's complicated, but yes I can be considered as a single."

The teacher cleared his throat as more hands shot up to the air, "I think this will be enough. Now, Zala-san you may take the empty seat next to Ssigh."

Kira watched as Athrun sat next to Ssigh. The seat was actually located just two seats away in front of Kira's seat, thus it gave Kira a clear view of the blue haired boy's back. The violet eyed smiled secretly as he watched the wind, which was coming from the window next to Athrun's seat, ruffled his hair. He wondered if the boy still remember him or not and the truth is he wanted Athrun to remember him. But Kira's wandering was lost when teacher told the class to open the history text book and started to return to his previous lecture.

---

"… And so after a very long lost battle, both the Coordinator and the Natural decided to do a truce that was soon followed by a peace pact that led us to what we are now. And since the animosity never really gone between the two fighting sides, the peace pact also ruled the secret assimilation process between the Natural and the Coordinator. The process itself begins on the second generation that was born after the war. Parents are prohibited in telling their children about their genetic type. A certain device was implanted inside the parent's cranial part to erase the knowledge of their genetic type but—"

RIIIIING

The bell rang loudly and the students started to shift anxiously on their seat. There was a loud groan when the teacher closed his book and said, "Class, I want a full essay about your opinion to the peace pact next week. The paper should be on my desk on Tuesday morning. Good day."

As soon as the teacher left, a loud commotion happened inside the classroom. The girls were flocking in front of Athrun's seat, all squealing and blushing. The blue haired boy seemed to be rather confused upon seeing the crowd in front of him and Kira watched this from his seat secretly. He was actually considering to give Athrun a welcoming greet but he was too shy to do that. Besides what if Athrun doesn't remember? It will be awkward. And so Kira took the sandwiches he'd bought this morning from his bag and slipped out of the classroom.

Outside the rain has stopped falling; the sunshine is shyly seeping through the thick branches of the tree. Students can be seen running around everywhere, they can be found sitting, talking, and joking with each other. Tolle waved his hand to Kira animatedly from under a tree, signaling Kira to sit with him and Ssigh together for lunch. Kira rushed himself to the group when a high pitched tone was heard from behind.

It was Flay's voice. She was screaming when another student unintentionally crash into her, making the food in her bento box flipped open and scrambled around her feet. And to make it worse the food also left a stain on her uniform.

"Are you alright?" Kira asked the girl as he helped her to her feet.

"Kira-kun, the boy just made me lost my lunch and I have a full period today," Flay whined to the chocolate haired boy, her eyes glinted with annoyance.

"Umm… here you can have my lunch. It's just sandwiches. I just bought it this morning from the cafeteria," said Kira as he handed her the package. The blush started to adorn his cheeks once more.

"But Kira-kun, what are you going to eat for lunch?"

"I'm not really that hungry," Kira took a handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to the red haired girl, "Anoo… and this is for you to rid the stain."

Flay beamed at Kira and kissed his cheek before she turned around to leave, "Oh Kira-kun, you're so sweet! I will return this to you. Thank you!"

Kira, who was too stunned by the act, remained frozen on the spot but soon he started to smile like a fool when he touched his heated cheek. His heart was now leaping up to the sky of happiness.

---

The evening light cast upon the sky when the day ends and lighten up the empty halls of the school. Most students already left the school during this time of day and thus the school was almost empty save for a few students and Kira.

The said violet eyed boy was now can be seen walking with a backpack slung in his shoulder; his footsteps were light as he headed back to the classroom. Kira was just finishing his club activities when he suddenly remembered the history textbook he'd left on his desk. Apparently he was too busy in keeping a watch on a certain someone that he forgot to collect the book in his bag.

It's been a weird day with all of the things that happened between him and Flay and of course… Athrun. The name somehow kept on resounding in Kira's head, making his heart beat a little faster and everything. Maybe it's because Kira was curious about the boy, intrigued by his smile. A small sigh escaped from his lips; the lack of sleep must've kicked in because Athrun's smile somehow kept on playing along with the memory of Flay's kiss in his head.

He only wanted the day to end, but when he opened the door, he suddenly found himself welcomed by the sight of a sleeping Athrun that was being illuminated by the flowing sunlight from the window. Kira gasped by the sight, it felt almost like a déjà vu. Athrun looked so peaceful in his sleep with his head laid upon his folded arm, and his slightly parted lips made Kira blush for some unknown reason.

After retrieving the book from his desk, Kira found himself standing once again before the sleeping boy, but this time, instead of flying away, Torii only perched quietly in his shoulder. _Should I wake him up?_ Kira was caught inside a moment of hesitation before he finally decided to wake the blue haired boy from his sleep. Gently, Kira shook the blue haired boy shoulder but the boy was barely moved. Kira shook the boy harder and made the blue haired boy moaned in his sleep, and yet the boy himself was still fast asleep.

"Athrun… wake up," whispered Kira, "Wake up. Athrun…"

Suddenly the taller youth gasped and bolted from his sleep, his eyes was now wide open. But still, through his bleary eyes, the boy could barely recognize the outline of the person who had been calling his name. And being a trained soldier that he is, all of Athrun's senses automatically went alert to the touch and within seconds his body moved accordingly to attack the stranger.

The sudden movements surprised Kira, he jerked his hand away from Athrun's shoulder and found himself falling and trapped between the floor and Athrun's body. There was a stillness in the room as the two boy caught each other eyes, the two of them were breathing hard. _Such beautiful eyes… where did I see them before?_

But the silence was finally broken when Kira frantically started to move under the taller boy's body, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I just want to wake you up."

Athrun's eyes widened upon realizing who the owner of the voice is. "Yamato-kun, I'm sorry. I'm just…" Athrun was about to finish his words when he realized the whole situation and quickly moved away from Kira. But Kira, who was too dazed by the new revelation, only stared at the taller youth and thinking, _did he just call me by my name?_

"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you," said Athrun whose hands was now pulling Kira to his feet. He smiled apologetically to the violet eyed boy but the smaller boy was only staring at him. "Ya… Yamato-kun, you're not mad aren't you?"

Kira blinked and answered, "No… No. I was just surprised that you remember my name." Athrun's smile was bright and that made Kira blushed lightly, "Of course I remember you. We've met before, haven't we? And you **are** my classmates."

"Uhm… yeah," Kira was surprised that Athrun remembered him and even recognized him as his classmates. A blush soon graced the violet eyed boy's cheek, _wait… why am I blushing? _

An awkward silence hung between the two as they caught each other's eyes once again. The taller youth shyly averted his gaze to the window and frowned as he's realizing that the night was soon about to fall, "It's already late. I didn't know that I sleep that long."

The evening light cascaded upon Athrun's figure, illuminated him with some ethereal glow. Kira could almost see a pair of transparent wing stretched out from Athrun's back and unconsciously gasped to the sight. _Beautiful, intriguing, and dangerously deadly._ The thought occurred inside Kira's mind as he watched the evening breeze played with Athrun's soft and wispy hair.

A faint ruffling sound can be heard from the outside and the shadow of the trees seemed to merge inside the abounding darkness. Kira felt a shiver ran through his spine. "Umm... Zala-san, anoo… I think we should be going now."

"Yes. I think we should." Athrun answered him with a smile and grabbed the bag from his desk. Kira only nodded and returned the smile, his heart started to beat in a frantic pace. Though Athrun's smile was bright and beautiful but the smile was unable to kick out the heavy stirs inside the pit of his stomach. _Something is just isn't right. _He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but his instinct told him to get away quickly. Torii perched almost too quietly in his shoulder and he suddenly has the urge to run, _I need to get away from here. No. **We **need to get away from here._

"Ki… I mean Yamato-kun, are you okay? You seemed a little bit pale."

"I… I'm fine!" Athrun was slightly taken aback by his words and Kira soon regretted the harsh tone of his voice before smiling weakly. "I'm fine."

"Aa."

The two youths walked in silence, unable to form a word between them.

---

Soon the two boys were greeted by the pale moonlight that was flowing from the almost night sky. The air was sharp and biting and Athrun shivered as a breeze passed him by. He turned to see the other boy and saw that Kira was almost as pale as a ghost. "Ki- … Yamato-kun, are you alright?"

The smaller boy fell to his knees and wrapped his hands around himself with a pained look in his face. Kira was trembling as a course of pain surged into his bone. Half panicked by the sight, Athrun dropped himself besides the other boy, "Kira! Are you alright?"

The violet eyed boy was slowly losing his consciousness as he grasped the front of Athrun's shirt in order to prevent him from falling further. His lips were becoming pale and chalky as the breathings came in short gasps. Athrun quickly held himself together; catching the boy in his arms, his eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. There was something different about the school, the trees, the street lights, and everything. _It's too quiet, no sounds of footsteps. The green mechanical bird is nowhere to be seen, there's no other existence but us._ It was as if they were trapped inside another dimension, _a parallel world?_ Their surroundings were completely empty save from the two youths and another figure that was standing atop the school tower. The darkness cast a shadow upon the figure.

"Who are you? What did you do to him?" A blaze of anger can be seen in Athrun's eyes, his arms moved into a protective hold around the violet eyed boy.

The figure simply raised their hand and soon an energy ball formed in their palm. The swirls of energy were so strong that Kira immediately realized what the figure was about to do. "Athr…" Kira said Athrun between his gritted teeth. He struggled inside the hold and tried to free himself in order to warn the other boy. _No! Run Athrun!_

But as the ball of energy hit the two of them, Kira gasped and found himself tangled inside of a protective hold. The attack shattered the wall around them and yet Kira felt safe inside the embrace. Athrun tightened his hold around him and Kira soon found himself lost inside the scent, the warmth, the touch. Warm… so warm.

"Sleep… and forget." Athrun's voice was low and comforting. Soothing. He wanted to stay like this forever, when there's no one but him and Athrun. His head felt heavy and he started to feel so sleepy… _Athrun, what you do to me…_

---

The attack blasted around them. A pain seared through Athrun's chest, he gasped and the blood trickled from the corner of his lips. Kira struggled in his arm and so he tightened the hold around him.

"Sleep… and forget." He whispered those words in his ear, comforting the trembling boy in his arms. Soon Athrun felt that Kira's breathing was started to get even and the tremble was gone. And when the sleep finally claimed the smaller youth, Athrun finally did lose his hold around the boy, but that never made his hold around Kira less protective. Cradling the boy in his arms so gently, Athrun looked up to the figure atop the school tower. "Who are you?" His eyes glinted with anger.

The figure didn't answer; their robe was billowed by the wind. They clasped their hand and started to chant. The energy swirled and drained into an invisible force inside the figure's palm, the shattered walls slowly returned to their undamaged form along the process.

Athrun watched in disbelief as the school, the trees, and everything returned to their normal state. "What the…" The blue haired youth turned to see the mysterious figure once again but the figure was no where to be found, leaving the moon alone atop the tower.

_Who are you?_ A frown marred the emerald eyed boy's face as the boy was lost inside of his own thought. And it wasn't until Kira stirred in his arms that the reverie was finally being broken. And so, though he was reluctant about this, Athrun let go of his arms and asked, "Ya…Yamato-kun, are you alright?"

A flying Torii suddenly appeared and started to peck the boy's hand affectionately. Kira's sleepy violet eyes slowly started to open. The wind brushed pass through them, bringing the sweet scent of summer along the way. A blush quickly found its way to Kira's cheek as the boy realized the whole situation. "A… Zala-san, what happened?"

"Umm… You tripped along the stairs and fainted. I was just trying to wake you up." Athrun shrugged and helped Kira to stand up. "Are you alright?"

Kira smiled and nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed to the fact that he was fainting in front of Athrun. The blue haired boy smiled at him and said, "Good."

"Anoo… Zala-san, I'm sorry to bother you again."

"Don't be. And don't call me Zala-san again, just call me Athrun okay?" The taller youth smiled to the boy. Kira nodded though he felt like he was missing something. The smaller youth was about to ask another question when he saw Athrun by the window and realizing that Athrun seemed to look a little bit paler under the moonlight, his skin almost as white as a porcelain doll and a faint trace of dried blood can be seen in trickling down his chin. _Blood?_

"Za—Athrun! You're hurt."

"Oh. This? Umm… you sort of fell and I was trying to catch you when I hit myself to the wall." Carelessly, Athrun wiped the blood with the back of his hand, but Kira caught the hand and proceed to wipe the blood with his own finger. Athrun gasped from the sudden touch, "Yamato-kun, what are you doing?"

Alarmed, Kira dropped his fingers abruptly. "I'm sorry. I've caused you so much trouble, haven't I?" The violet eyes were downcast as Kira spoke those words, his eyelashes dropped in an almost shy gesture. Athrun had to smile upon seeing this, "Not really. But I can call you Kira, can I?"

The violet eyed boy lit up upon hearing the request, "Yes. Yes, you can."

For a moment, the two caught each other eyes and everything seemed to be lost inside the silence. A chirping Torii was the one thing that brought them back to the reality. Both boys blushed for some unknown reason.

Athrun cleared up his throat and asked, "Well then, shall we go home now?"

"Aa."

Together they walked under the cast of moonlight, oblivious about the awaiting fate before them.

---

The feathers were falling so softly upon the two figures that tangled inside each other's arms. Long fingers caressing the cheek of the smaller one gently, whispering in his ears with soft and quiet words, "You have come to meet your fate, my little one. Don't you know that he'll be the death of you? He'll hurt you like no one can…

"But no matter. I will protect you from the pain… from him."

Slowly the feathers danced and swirled along the breeze, gracefully descending upon the two in silence. He looked up to the moonless sky and said, "I will protect you from our fate…"

The figure wrapped his arms along the sleeping figure, enveloping him with his warmth—as if he was trying to protect **_his_** little one from the pain, before quietly whispered in the sleeping boy's ear with an almost broken tone, "And that will never change…"

And the feathers kept on falling, like the tears of a broken lover.

TBC

**A/N:** Hmm… Let's unveil the mysteries! So far, we got some mysterious figures, feathers, a mysterious past between Kira and Athrun, and of course a mysterious ending! Hahaha! Oh geez, writing a fic like this is tiring. Should I continue? Because I'm sort of lost in here :sighs:

And review please? Review will lighten up my days; review will make me want to write more ;) !


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** GSEED and related characters are not mine.

**S T O L E N**

Chapter 3: Awakening

By Pluto-mint

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** Love, friendship, and destiny.

**Warnings:** Shounen ai (don't like, don't read, don't flame), irregular updating schedule, and a loose grammar.

**Pairing(s):** AthrunKira

--

Chapter 3: Awakening

--

_Is it you inside my head? Is it you the one who said... I'll become someone else?_

_--_

The air was crisp and thin as the darkness slowly crept into the night sky. The heavy grey cloud swallowed the moon whole, leaving only a trace of shadow in its wake. Delicate black feathers twirled inside the gusting wind; leaving them scattered upon the soft earth and brushing against his feet with each single step. A lone feather fell into his outstretched palms; the pale moonlight seeped through its torn edge.

High above the ruins and piles of what used to be a fortress, he could see a lone figure to stand alone atop the broken tower; the fallen black feathers veiled his face. Feeling more than seeing as the figure turned his eyes toward him, if only for a brief second he felt disoriented as their gaze met each other. They're not even close to touch, but still he had his heart stirred by the intensity of the gaze.

Almost felt like an eternity held their gaze when suddenly the figure spread his arm wide and leaped out of the broken tower; the black wings went unsheathed from his back in a single fluid movement, flying and carrying all of him toward the darkening sky. _An angel?_

As the winged figure flew into the night sky, the earth then slowly start to crumble under his feet. He felt the grains of sands slipped easily through his fingers as the ruins and piles moved to glide into the welcoming earth. He gasped and tried to hold on to something, anything, not to let himself fall. But it was too late, the ground under his feet cracked, pulling him toward the abyss along with the gravity.

A warm hand caught his trembling fingers, holding him in place. The wind rustled through the black feathers, caressing his skin, touching him. The flying figure smiled at him, his wings glittered in the dark, and with fingers remain intertwined to each other.

"Who are you?" his voice cracked through the cold breeze.

The feathers brushed against his skin in a warm welcoming touch. "I am you," said the velvety voice in a smooth reply.

--

Kira woke up from his almost sleeping state with a start. In between his sleeping haze, Kira could dimly hear Tolle's voice as he playfully poked at his shoulder and babbled, "… so I said to Millie, I don't like it when she interrupted my soccer game watching just because she wanted me to pick her up at the mall. I mean, I'm her boyfriend not her driver. But then she got so angry that she was yelling at me by the phone. I just don't understand why this has become such a big issue for the two of us. I tell you what Kira, girls can be so frustrating some times. They just don't get it. I mean, don't you think I'm the victim here?"

"Uh… What?" Still lost in his foggy mind, Kira answered the boy with a yawn. The two of them were just spending the evening in the classroom with Tolle chattering about almost everything, and with Kira unsuccessfully trying to fix a broken winged Torii before he finally got himself swallowed inside the sleepiness. Rubbing his eyes with an almost child like gesture, he thought he could see Tolle's pouting face before him.

"Kira-kun, do you even listen to me? I'm baring my soul to you here…"

Really, Tolle could get so… overrated at times, "Uhm…"

"OK, that's it. I'm leaving you with yourself", huffed the other boy. "You know what, I think I'd be much better if I just go to Millie and explain everything right now. She was so scary when she's angry. But I think that's hot. Hmm… Yeah, I guess I'm going to talk her about and then have that great making up thing with her," Tolle sighed almost dreamily.

"Yeah. Umm… no problem. Good luck with that," said the darker haired boy awkwardly as he waved his best friend goodbye. Tolle's grin was wide when he closed the door almost too excitedly, leaving Kira alone inside the classroom once again.

Sighing to the green mechanical bird below, he said, "I guess it's just you and me right now…" The bird only chirped in an almost audible tone. Its usual chattering self was lost now that the bird was so weak that it was unable to lift its wings to fly.

Kira looked at the said bird with a pair of saddened violet eyes. Torii was precious to him; perhaps it's one of the things that he treasured the most. Torii was his only connection to what was his in the past. His memory, his family, him… all of him. And now that Torii was broken, he grew afraid of losing another part of him, of losing something that was truly his.

_I won't let it happen Torii_, Kira thought silently.

The violet eyed boy was still lost inside his reverie when the door suddenly breaks open. The sudden crashing of footsteps filled the room, making Kira to break away from his so-called-contemplation.

Another boy entered the room and was panting out of breath. As his emerald eyes quickly scanned the classroom, Athrun looked mildly startled to find the violet eyed boy's appearance in the class room. "Kira…"

Athrun's breaths were short and within gasps, making the voice almost too hoarse and almost too… husky to Kira's ears; a light blush graced Kira's cheekbones upon hearing his name uttered in such manner. "Uh… hey. What's with the running?"

"Oh," Athrun quickly regain his composure and smiled sheepishly, "I was searching for my lost history text book."

Kira chuckled lightly, making Athrun frown in return. "What's so funny?"

"No. Nothing, it's almost like a déjà vu for me. Don't you remember… we used to be in the same situation, only I was the one to lose the book."

Their first… no, second meeting. "Oh. Yeah. Maybe we are being bound by history."

Something that lay between Athrun's lines made Kira's eyes widen with something. Somehow, those words never seemed so true before. Ever since their first meeting, Athrun had always given Kira that something, that sense of being connected to another part of him in some strange unfathomable ways. Athrun always felt so familiar, so close. Like a lost brother he never had. Or maybe more…

Kira often wondered whether they have met before in his life, but it was impossible. Athrun professed to spend his whole life in PLANT, while Kira, though he barely knew a scratch about his past, was certain that Heliopolis was his only hometown.

"What's wrong?" asked the blue haired boy upon seeing the flittering expression in his face.

Kira blinked before answering, "What…?"

"The bird…"

"Oh. Umm… Torii had a broken wing. I'm trying to fix it." Looking down sadly, Kira gave the bird a slow affectionate stroke as it chirped weakly in his hands.

Athrun moved to sit before the other boy and smiled, "Here, let me see that." His fingers skillfully moved to inspect the broken mechanical bird under Kira's scrutinizing gaze. A few taps here and there, the blue haired boy then proceeds to unfasten the bird's green metallic shield. After giving the bird a couple of careful twists and fastening the bolts, Athrun then beamed to Kira with a cheerfully chirping Torii in his palms, "There."

"Ah… Thank you." Kira's smile was almost too shy when their fingers brushed against each other.

Another silence filled the almost deserted classroom once again. Both boys were feeling too awkward, too confuse about the sudden thumping sounds of their hearts.

Somehow, the knowledge of being like this, together inside an empty classroom with Athrun, was making Kira's heart to skip another beat. Kira was now becoming all too aware about how the room's temperature began to rise another notch just by seeing the other boy's pink-peach lips parted slightly.

The light touches weren't lost on Athrun's part either. As a faint shade of pink shyly graced those high chiseled cheekbones, Athrun's heart was beginning to beat in earnest. That smile, and touch, had him completely thrown off guard; his head's reeling in a dizzying rush.

"Umm… Don't mention it." The blue haired boy cleared his throat and averted his gaze to the window. His head was beginning to throb like crazy. What is this, this strange pull of something that's making him drawn to Kira? His instincts were telling him to walk away from Kira, but his heart was telling him otherwise. Logic didn't seem to work perfectly this time. He knew that his heart has been deluding his mind. That, and not to mention this throbbing headache that always seemed to catch on his nerves every time Kira was around, being close enough to touch. Just like now.

Kira, sensing the weary look upon the blue haired boy's face, asked, "Are you alright?"

Athrun, though, didn't seem to catch on his words. "A… Athrun? You Okay?" Tentatively, Kira moved to touch the frowning boy's shoulder.

_**Don't touch him. He's mine! **_

A voice hissed inside Athrun's head, getting louder the second Kira brushed his finger tips against his shoulder. They burned his skin, dissolving him into a million pieces, into that of a fading existence. The taller boy shuddered under the touch, his brows knotted in pain.

"A… Athrun?"

"I'm fine!" Unable to bear the pain, Athrun snapped out of his throbbing headache.

The voice sounded so angry, almost too curt, and almost too rude for Kira. The violet eyed boy winced from the tone, the color in his face blanched slightly as the words faltered from his lips, "Ah. I… I'm sorry then. I'll go get you some pills."

The look in Kira's face was that of a kicked puppy, lost and trembled in fear. Athrun cannot bear such sight, "No, Kira. Don't be… Don't be like that. I'm the one who should be saying sorry." Fingers moved to touch the other boy but pausing midway through, he sighed weakly, "I'm just tired."

"Really…?"

"Yeah," Athrun smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, maybe I should leave now. There's a history textbook to be found anyway." The boy rose from his seat and turning his back from Kira in a hasty manner.

Kira's face grew more pale as the other boy making his way to the door, _he's leaving, he's leaving me alone_. There was that sudden thundering sounds of his heart once again; it was almost he's replaying an old scene of a movie.

_Don't let him walk away again_. _Just don't_.

Impulsively, Kira grabbed the other boy's hand and said in an almost trembling tone, "No. Stay."

Athrun went still by the touch. His emerald eyes searching for a reason inside Kira's violet own. The smaller boy blushed, "Ah… I mean stay if you want to. I… I could lend you my book and you can help with this project I have."

The smaller boy stuttered in his reasons as Athrun watched in quiet amusement. There was something about the way the evening light glide upon Kira's frail looking figure that's making him looked almost ethereal, angelic.

_What if…_

A small gasp escaped from Athrun's lips upon the sudden realization, _it can't be_. But it all suddenly fit—the headache, _his _growing presence, they all lead to Kira's existence. The sharp clarity told Athrun that he was now threading on a dangerous zone. His instincts and logic were telling him to walk away.

But he didn't. Couldn't… Even though all the signs were there to be seen, still he refused to believe them. _Kira_ _isn't like that, Kira couldn't be like that_, said his heart.

Hesitant, he tried to free himself from the smaller boy's persistent fingers, "I don't know…"

"Please…"

A word from Kira's pleading lips. And that's all that it took to make Athrun pulled the chair back and returned to his seat. _How could he refuse him?_

Athrun smiled in a light hesitant manner before he affectionately stroked the silent green mechanical bird. "All right. That sounds good to me, Kira."

"Thank you…" Kira said with his soft quiet voice, and returned the smile from the other end of the table, looking undeniably happy with Athrun's decision to stay. And though the doubt still lingered insides Athrun's heart, but the sight of Kira's smiling face was more than enough to make him stay.

The evening light filled the room in a warm shade of gold. So warm, just like the two hearts that complimented each other.

--

The sound of music filled the room, flowing from the gentle taps of piano key. The musical notes came in a melancholic tone, sadness and hope meddling inside the song before they were being carried away by the evening breeze that seeped into the room. The fingers glide easily above the piano keys, searching, and reaching for a closure as they end the song with a gentle tap upon those delicate ivory keys.

A sigh came out of the lips of the person to own those said fingers before he finally beamed at his piano. Playing a piano, somehow, has always managed to calm Niicol's nerve. It was almost as if each note he took upon the ivory keys also took away the doubts and weariness in his heart.

It's odd how he was feeling this weary right now, not when he was still a boy no more than fifteen, with skin so fair and cheekbones shaded in a beautiful rosy tone that almost made him looked younger than his age.

But he did feel that much weariness in his heart and either did his companion. Turning his head, Niicol looked up to the said companion as the silence finally took its possession upon the room, and saw with little surprise to find Athrun was sleeping soundly on the couch. The book went unchecked in his hand.

Trust Athrun to fall asleep at any given time, Niicol shook his head with a smile. But then again, given to his condition, it was such a wonder how Athrun still managed to live and function properly until now. He knew that the search to this so called 'weapon' was slowly eating Athrun on the inside. His pale and dreary looking eyes cannot conceal the fact that all of his youthful energy was starting to drain away.

Niicol took the book from Athrun's hand and brushed a lock from his forehead, careful not to wake the sleeping boy. Athrun was like a brother for him, someone to always look upon with such respect and affection. The sunlight cast a glow upon the skin, making Athrun looked so much younger and frail, and for a moment Niicol felt a drawn sympathy toward the boy. _This is too much for you, isn't it?_

But his reverie was lost as the door was being knocked so softly. A pale silver haired boy entered the room; his eyes glinted with something upon seeing the sleeping figure. "Niicol," said the boy in an indifferent tone, but with eyes so warm toward him.

"Yzak," Niicol nodded curtly toward the boy and smiled.

"Is he sleeping again?" asked Yzak.

Niicol nodded with a gloom look in his face, "Yes. This is the third time of the day." Yzak simply watched the blue haired boy's figure with an unreadable look in his face, "How long has this been going on?"

"As we all know, Athrun does have this habit of sleeping in an irregular basis concerning to… well, his condition. But I think it became worse ever since we came to Heliopolis."

"You should've told us before. Did he show any signs of depression or behaving oddly as of late?" said the silver haired boy.

"No. I think he even looked happier lately. But still…Yzak, I'm worried about him. He's becoming thinner and paler."

Another voice cut in from behind the door, "Don't worry, Niicol. You know how Athrun is, maybe he just got overworked." The door slid open and another figure came in, his bronzed skin and golden hair a contrast to Yzak's. Dearka entered the room with his usual laid back attitude, grinning toward Niicol before he affectionately ruffled the shorter boy's hair.

"Dearka." Yzak glared toward the blonde boy.

"Maa Yzak… don't be so uptight," grinned the golden haired boy as he languidly plopped himself to the couch. "Say Niicol, your fridge is as miserable as Athrun's life. Since we just came a long way from PLANT, don't you think we deserve some proper welcoming dinner right now, eh Niicol?"

And Niicol could not help but to notice how Dearka's grin seemed to be the least affected to Yzak's glaring daggers. Really, he just had to smile at the sight now that they finally got themselves together again.

The four aces of PLANT. That's what the PLANT executive board called them and the notion itself wasn't exactly wrong either. They are a group of highly skilled individuals whose intelligence and wit could outwin almost anything in the world. But it was their bond friendship that made them the strongest; the four of them has always been close since the academy, ever since they were eleven to be exact.

Athrun was the calm and sensible one, a bit cold and detached on the outside but always warm on the inside. Athrun's sensibility is flawless and maybe that's why he's always chosen to become their group leader. And for this Yzak was little bit jealous. Yzak was, after all, always be the hot headed one, passionate and fiery. Dearka, on the other hand, was like the big brother they never had: playful, egoist, and overtly protective. And the one that put the four into balance was Niicol, the gentle and loving Niicol, who may be the youngest, but was always be the one who seemingly to be the most mature person of them all.

Nakama, partner, comrade, friends, brothers, and… family. That's what they are to Niicol. His heart felt so warm upon seeing the bickering pair before him, "Why don't you take a bath, I'll go and cook something for you."

He thought he could hear Yzak shouting at Dearka in the background as he slowly made his way to the kitchen, and smiled.

--

"So… what happened between you and that new transferred boy, Kira-kun?"

Kira blinked twice before answering, "What?"

Natarle sighed to her still steaming toast, "You know perfectly what I'm trying to ask. Since you've been too busy spending your time with him lately, I think I deserve to know who he is."

"We're friends, and he helped me with my project." Kira took the last bite of his breakfast as Torii chirped from his left shoulder. The sunlight coming from the window made its green color shimmered like a sparkling emerald, like the color of a certain blue haired boy's eyes that he knows.

"Well, at least you should give me his name so that I wouldn't be too worried whenever you came home late." The dark haired lady smiled to her nephew in an unnerving way, as if she knows something, as if she knows everything.

"His name is Athrun Zala." He really didn't know why, but Kira felt his cheeks heating up slightly to the name.

"Zala…" Natarle asked once again, her eyes glinted with something. "Zala as in Patrick Zala?"

"Yeah. He's the son." Kira was too busy in hiding his blush to notice the gleam in her eyes.

Natarle tapped her fingers on the table, "Zala…"

"Is there something wrong Natarle-san?" Kira asked from the other end of the table. But Natarle just shook her head and smiled, "Nothing. How's your head?"

"Umm… Fine, I guess." Ever since the accident, Kira always felt that throbbing headache every time he was having some emotional events. The doctors said that it was partly because he was still trying to cope with the residual trauma. He's fine, really. It wasn't the throbbing headache that concerned him the most right now, but it was the soft fluttering of heart that just so happened every time he was within some close distance to some certain people with some certain hair color, like red or… blue, that they made his sleep a little bit restless right now.

"Did you come close to remembering something lately?"

"No. But…" Kira smiled to his aunt and said, "I don't really think it matters anymore."

Natarle stirred her cup of coffee, and stared at her nephew with that unreadable look again, "… I see. But Kira-kun, the question is 'are you happy now?'"

The boy was slightly taken aback by the question. His violet eyes looked so distant, as they were trying to unfold the answer within him. Sure he had his share of problems, but doesn't everyone? His life was considerably good. He was safe and Natarle seemed to care that much for him. And though, right now he was lacking some sleep due to some certain people, but it was all okay for him, he was still able to pull off a smile to his face. "Yeah. I guess I'm happy right now."

Natarle smiled warmly and said, "Good. That's all that matters to me."

The smile… and the sunlight that fell upon his shoulder were bright, like the streams of golden rivers. And Kira never felt that warm before.

--

The school was always in a hectic mood at these times of hours. The sounds of wandering students, the clattering sounds of chair, the babbling sounds of talking, could easily be heard just about everywhere. The students smiled broadly while the teachers sighed with relieve as the bells rang loudly, telling them to go home.

Kira was the last person to pack his belongings when a familiar voice calling out for him. "Kira-kun," said the beautiful red haired girl. Kira began to blush as Flay slowly walked towards him. The girl smiled that beautiful smile once again, making his heart moved in a sudden ricocheting mode.

"Kira-kun, wait." The long haired girl called out his name before they finally came face to face. _Could it be? Could it be?_

"Here. I already washed this personally," said the smiling girl as she took his hands and slipped a clean fabric (his handkerchief) between his fingers, "Thank you. Oh Kira-kun… What can I do to pay you back?"

"Oh." That was unexpected. Slightly blushing from the action, Kira smiled to the red haired girl, "It's nothing. Don't mention it." _But a date would do just fine really_, his mind's betraying his words.

"No. I insist. Don't worry Kira-kun, I'll think of something about it," Flay giggled slightly as she let go of his fingers and smiled once again before turning to leave, "You just wait Kira-kun!"

Standing alone in an empty classroom, Kira's eyes were wide with disbelief. Flay was just holding his hands, and was giving him a chance. His cheeks were flushed in a giddy realization.

**_This is it. This is your chance to be with her… _**A soothing voice whispered inside Kira's mind. **_Go for her, ask her out_.**

Mustering all of his courage, Kira turned his heels around and ran towards a laughing beautiful brunette with a flying Torii by his side.

--

The school rooftop was always left deserted at this time of the hours. It was warm and quiet as the sunlight glide upon its concrete surface with such ease. There were no loud talking, incessant babbling to be heard, save from the bustling sounds of the street below. Athrun had always been fond of the place. It was the only place where he could finally regained his own peace. The tasks left forgotten, things left unattended, and he could finally be free just to be… him. Himself and no other.

Which is what exactly he needed the most right now: some semblance of peace, some stolen moment just to be free.

Sighing quietly, Athrun had never felt so tired before. His mind's a jumbling confusion, laced with doubts and stirring emotions toward a certain violet eyed boy. The signs, the reaction he gets every time Kira was near… they're all there to be seen. But he had refused to believe it, following his heart's desire to be with Kira.

Still, he felt his heart clenched in pain. The darkness was looming before him, shadowing his minds with delusions, corrupting his soul, and trying to take its claim upon him. The darkness was so thick that Athrun was becoming so afraid, afraid to be swallowed up whole inside its consuming nature. Afraid of getting himself lost within the abyss with nothing to hold on to.

A small part of his brain had tried to refuse, but Kira's smiling face made it all seemed to worth the while. And did it so, for it was also making a small flickering hope to grow inside his heart. Kira's touch, as painful as it should be, was also giving him that sense of freedom, a liberating feeling for simply being himself when Kira was around. Kira's presence was precious to him, and for that he will be strong, stronger than he used to be.

Leaning his back into the wall, Athrun closed his eyes with such careless abandon as the gusting wind went caressing his skin. The tresses of his hair framed the chiseled face perfectly as the sleep gently lured him to its waiting arms. His heavy lids were unable to break away from the sleeping haze as it was slowly taking away all of his consciousness.

The pull of morpheus was so strong that Athrun was unable to feel the impending danger that was surrounding him. A pair of gleaming eyes was watching him intently before the owner leaped from the tallest spot of the tower and landed just a couple steps away from the sleeping boy.

"Athrun Zala…" The golden hair flared under the sunlight as the figure went closer. "Such destiny… to let oneself consumed within the darkness. Soon you will give us such danger, and for that you must be eliminated."

With that being said, a ball of flaring lights slowly formed itself between the outstretched palms. In mere seconds, the flare had the school engulfed within its green-blue shield, trapping it into another dimension in which there were no other existence but the sleeping boy and the golden haired figure.

The wind gusted between the two figures, writhing in anticipation. The mysterious figure's arms were now slowly forming the shape of a spiking hot flame; its white glow emanating dangerously from the tips of their fingers.

"Don't take this personal. You might even going to thank me for this," said the figure as they slowly moving in for the kill.

--

Something's wrong.

Kira was panting out of breaths. He could faintly heard Torii chirped excitedly in the background. The school gate was filled with loud talking and passing students. A beautiful red haired girl was seen amongst them, her laughter was like music to Kira's ears. Seemingly unaffected with the crowd, the girl ease her way with such grace.

As his distance inched closer towards the girl, Kira could feel that his legs were slowly turned into jelly. **_Where have all those courage gone to? Come and ask her out…_**

_What if she doesn't like me that much … _The thought was quite disturbing really, distracting him from his original task. Flay was, after all, the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Ever the most popular girl in school, it was quite an easy task for her to get any guy that she likes. And that includes Athrun…

Kira winced from the thought, his heart was burnt with something… was it jealousy then? The thought was unbearable.

It wasn't until he heard a loud screeching sound that Kira was able to break away from the miserable thought. There was a truck driving almost recklessly near the school gate. Kira's eyes gone wide as the driver unable to control the said machine before he finally swerved to the right. The truck was hitting the pavement in result, making the student screamed in fear. A red haired girl was too shocked that she was unable to move, frozen as the truck came crashing into her.

_Flay!_ He was moving out of reflects, trying his hardest to protect the girl from the truck. Pushing the girl away from the pavement with his body, the last thing that Kira see was the raging truck before everything fades to black.

--

He felt lightheaded. Squinting his eyes against the sunlight, Kira felt his blood rushing to his head. The ground felt rough, the dust and the dirt smudging his fingers. Out of the corner of his eyes, Kira slowly began to recognize the shape that was hovering above him… the school's infamous antique bell that was hanging on its gate.

_Flay!_ Kira snapped out of his train of thoughts, eyes searching for the girl but found nothing in result. _I am alone_… The school should be crowded at this time of hours, filled with students and teachers alike but there not a single creature to be seen near him, not even Torii. _Where am I? _It was almost as if Kira was trapped in another place, identical with the packed filled student one.

Faintly, Kira's ears began to pick up the sounds of cackled electricity from somewhere. Kira looked up to find the source and found that the school rooftop was filled with white spiking lightning. His heart beginning to race, something was definitely gone wrong. Without giving it a second thought, Kira stormed his way to the school rooftop.

The flight of stairs was tiring, but his heart was determined not to miss this one particular moment. Something urged him to run towards the abandoned place. And as he broke the door open, Kira could vaguely understand why.

A mysterious figure was standing before another figure, hands raised in an attacking mode. Kira did not pay so much attention to the mysterious figure as his eyes was glued to the other. It was the figure of a boy, sleeping soundlessly, his navy blue hair flared inside the gusting wind.

_Athrun!_ His heart thumped so hard that he was sure it was jolting out of his chest. Athrun was in great danger with a white spiking lightning aimed at his sleeping figure.

No!

Throwing himself before the sleeping boy, Kira could feel the sizzling white hot pain seared his body as a wave of anger and protection engulfing him, swallowing all of his conscious thoughts.

--

He could feel the blinding light engulfing him as he uncurled himself from the dark. Gone were the cold that was surrounding him just moments ago. It felt so good to finally feel the sunlight beating against his skin after being trapped inside the abyss for so long. The black feathers floated away as his wings went unsheathed from his back.

Ignoring a pair of disbelieving amber eyes before him, he leapt out of the cocooning light and stood before a sprawled figure on the wall, sleeping in oblivion. Out of the corner of his eyes, he managed to catch the sight the said figure's flaring blue tresses and idly wondered how such an ordinary boy could bring him back to life once again, to unleash him from his dark, deep slumber.

A realization strike upon him as he touched the boy's flawless skin, **_of course_**, he thought grimly. **_Only him, always him… _**and there was that sense of being connected to his other half after being alone for so long. Complications will arise for he could feel **_his counterpart's _**presence inside the sleeping blue haired boy. Archenemy or rivals be damned, but only **_he _**could bring such heightened state of emotions to his soul, always **_him_**. The future never looked so grim before, but nevertheless, **_it feels good to be back._**

--

**A/N: **Cliffhanger! It's not? Oh. So, what will happen to our favorite boys? Dearka and Yzak finally appear inside the story. The 'mysterious figure(s)' are also starting to reveal themselves. And I'm sure that some of you probably already got the idea behind the story. Thus, I will write no more! No, I'm just joking. I will continue the story (that is if anyone still wants me to), but you just have to be patient with my irregular updating schedule.

What? Why are you looking at me like that? I know, I know… It's been like months since the last time I update this fic. I'm sorry for the long update, I got too caught up between work, family, and other nonsensical things.

Anyway do write your review please, your thoughts and opinions are also welcome. Please, light up my days with your words. And not to mention that reviews make me want to write more –winked-.

The italic words at the beginning of the chapter aren't mine either. They were taken from a random song I've heard while typing this chapter. And as always… if you flame me, then I pity you retard soul!


End file.
